


The Letter

by Tamorasky



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Anna is a Nurse, Based on Band Of Brothers Episode 6, Bastogne, F/M, Kristoff is in Battle of the Bulge, Medic Kristoff, Violence, WWII AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamorasky/pseuds/Tamorasky
Summary: In the middle of winter Kristoff tries his best to fend off frostbite, battle fatigue and help out his fellow soldiers the best he can with limited medical supplies.
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	The Letter

The screams for a medic echo through the cold Belgian forest. Kristoff snaps his head up to look at Sven, sitting across from him in their foxhole before the two of them scramble out of their dugout. They race across the terrain as best they could through the snow. The two medics catch sight of 4 men crowded around one, Kristoff immediately drops to his knees beside the wounded man as Sven races to the man’s other side.   
It was the youngest of their company, Private Olaf Larsen whose blood was staining the snow below him. Sven cuts the boy’s pants around the wound in Olaf’s leg, exposing it to them. Olaf’s head rests on Ryder’s thighs, who was whispering words of comfort to the terrified boy. Sven blots the wound on the leg, trying to clear the blood away as Kristoff removes iodine from his bag before applying the solution around the gushing wound. 

“You’re doing great kid.” Sven reassures the blonde kid, applying pressure to the gunshot wound. 

“Sven do you have morphine.” Kristoff asks, realizing he was without any. The brunette across from him shakes his head grimly. Kristoff growls before applying a tourniquet just above the boy’s knee before Sven begins to dig into the gunshot wound, trying desperately to remove the bullet. The blonde man looks up to see Destin Mattias grabbing a blanket to cover the shivering boy. The two medics hurry as much as they can, trying desperately to save the boy’s life. 

“Kristoff…Sven…” Mattias calls out, causing the two medics to look up to see that the boy had died. Without another word, Kristoff stands up and marches away from the scene, away from the foxholes and away from his company. He collapses to the ground on his knees, aching as they collide with the frozen earth below him. He doesn’t yell or shout, not like how he used to back in Holland and France. This was becoming all too common for him.   
Snow behind him crunches, indicating the presence of someone behind him. Mattias sits next to the medic with a groan 

“He was 17, Destin.” Kristoff states bitterly. Olaf was a replacement after France, no one treated him kindly until after Holland and everyone realized the kid had lied about his age to enlist. Everyone in the company after that had decided to take care of Olaf and Ryder the best they could. 

“Ryder says it was the luger tucked into Olaf’s pants that fired.” 

“Christ.” He swears, Olaf had talked about getting a luger ever since he joined the company and boasted when he finally got one, it was what killed him. 

“Go into the village, get a hot meal.” Mattias says. “And when you get back switch foxholes with someone. I don’t like that the two medics share a foxhole.”   
Kristoff looks at his comrade who really should be leading their company, not the incompetent idiot Lieutenant Erikson, who wasn’t even there when Olaf died. Reluctantly he nods as Mattias places a comforting hand on Kristoff’s shoulder.   
  
He manages to wave down the army jeep heading into the nearby town, carrying a minorly injured man; it was the frostbitten Private Nilsen. Kristoff tends to the private as the jeep drive, trying to make the man comfortable as possible. It was only 20 minutes to the nearest village; he knew there was a field hospital there. He just didn’t realize it was in a church. Kristoff helps the driver carry Nilsen into the church.   
A blonde nurse greets them at the door and quickly points to an empty bed in the corner. The two soldiers shift Nilsen to the ratty bed. 

“There Nilsen. You’ll be more comfortable here than in your foxhole.” 

“The nurses will be a lot nicer to look at then your ugly mug that’s for sure.”

“I’m sure they will be. Hell, of a lot harder to talk to though, how’s your French?” Kristoff chuckles as he stands. Looking around the church he had to find someone to talk to about getting new supplies, anything they could spare.   
He makes his way through the beds in order to approach any nurses or doctors. Since arriving he had only seen one doctor, which resulted in many of the nurses doing much of the work. Kristoff notices a woman walk into a separate room. Following her into the room he sees they were utilizing the church office as a medical storage space. He finally looks to the lone nurse in the room. She was in her blue dress and brown apron, her fiery hair covered by a light blue handkerchief. 

“Pardon.” He calls out to the ‘bluebird’ which obviously startles her. As the woman turns to look at him, Kristoff swears she takes his breath away as she does so. Her eyes were sparkling and reminded him of the sky in summer. 

“Que Puis-Je faire pour vous?” she inquires, wiping her bloodied hands on her apron. 

“Ah…Je regarde…ahh…. medcin et…um bandages?” he shrugs, hoping that his French would be at the very least understandable. 

“Do you speak English?” She responds.   
  
“Oh, thank god, yes.” He sighs in relief; glad he didn’t have to stumble through French. “I need some morphine…not for me for medical uses. I also need bandages, plasma, anything you can spare.” 

“I can’t help you with plasma, but I can help you with the rest.” The nurse grabs an empty crate. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have spare scissors, would you?” Kristoff asks. “Mine have gotten quite dull and my partner lost his somewhere in the Ardennes.” The young nurse giggles at that; something which makes his heart flutter. 

“Of course.” She smiles, filling the wooden crate with supplies. “I’m sorry we can’t spare much more morphine.” 

“I understand, I’m really grateful for anything.” Kristoff comes to stand next to the nurse, shoving his hands into his pockets. Carefully watching her, Kristoff takes in the shape of her face, every freckle and the way her nose daintily upturned. “I’m Kristoff.” He outstretches his hand, overjoyed when she takes it. 

“I’m Anna.” She replies, shaking his hand.   
  
“Anna…” He repeats breathlessly, she smiles up at him before going back to packing supplies. 

“Grab those bandages will you?” The red-haired nurse points to the rolled-up bandages sitting in front of him. As he picks them up the 4th-grade technician realizes that he wasn’t holding real bandages. 

“What are these?” he furrows his brows as he hands them to her. 

“Bandages.” She places the rolls into the crate with the other medical supplies. “We ran out of actual ones nearly a year ago. We had to cut up bedsheets.” Kristoff stares at the young nurse. Everyone was desperate for medical supplies, even the villages. 

“I really appreciate it.” 

“We have to take care of one another, right?” She smiles sweetly at him. Pulling the heavy crate off the table she holds it out to him. As he takes the supplies from her, their hands brush against each other. 

“Thank you again…Anna.” 

“De rien Kristoff.” She replies as he turns to leave. 

He returns back to the company for the night, trying to relax the best he could in the foxhole with Sven. His best friend talks his ear off in a whisper, but all Kristoff could think of was the fiery nurse. 

Kristoff returns to the village a few days later to gather supplies from the aid drop that had occurred earlier in the day. They had heard the field hospital was gathering medical supplies to hold for the army. An unfamiliar nurse points to the office where she informed them that Anna had packed their supplies up for them.   
He smiles hearing that of course she had. He and Ryder pick up the four crates that had been separated from the field hospital’s supplies. As he leaves the church office, he sees the bright hair of Anna. She was sitting next to a wounded soldier, reading to him. Seeing her doing this brings a smile to his face as she clearly brought a sense of comfort to the young man next to her. 

“Help! We need a doctor!” a group of men yell as they carry a wounded man into the church. Kristoff, acting on impulse runs back into the office to drop the supplies. 

“Take him through there!” He hears Anna yell to the group of men. Rushing into the sanctuary Kristoff follows the sound of Anna’s voice into a smaller chapel with a wooden dining table in the middle of the room. Anna gets the soldiers to put the wounded man on the table as Kristoff races to the side of the table opposite of Anna. He quickly rips the man’s shirt open, exposing the gaping wound below his ribs. Both of their hands go to the wound, quickly brushing away the blood rushing from the gash. It was the artery, he had to find it. Kristoff shoves his fingers into the open wound trying to staunch the bleed as Anna keeps the area around it clean. She grabs a rag from her pocket, cleaning the area.  
Kristoff continues to try to stop the bleeding, noticing Anna had stopped. Looking at her Kristoff sees she was staring at the now-deceased man, her eyes welling with tears. He removes his hand from the wound, wiping the other man’s blood on a nearby rag. He jumps as Anna throws her rag to the floor in frustration before leaving the room. 

Kristoff follows her out of the church, finding her sitting just outside of the church sitting on the ground. Approaching her Kristoff sits next to her, watching her wring her blood-stained hands. He digs into his bag pulling out his pack of Lucky Stripes, offering her one. She takes the cigarette with a smile. 

“I would have preferred chocolate, but I’ll accept a cigarette. Thank you.” She says as he lights it for her. 

“You’re a good nurse.” He says, lighting up his own. Anna looks at him, shaking her head. 

“I’m too emotional. My sister would have made a better nurse.” She shrugs. 

“Does your sister live in the village too?” Kristoff questions. 

“No, she lives back home.” 

“Where’s home?” 

“Arendelle. What about you?” Anna asks. 

“Duluth, Minnesota. Arendelle…” He ponders, sure he had heard the name before. “Is that closer to the French border?” Anna shakes her head with a smile. 

“No, it’s in Norway. Do you have family in Duluth?” 

“Ah yeah. I have a large family, five siblings.” Kristoff smiles, thinking of his younger siblings. 

“Five? Wow! It was only my sister and I growing up, but we were really close.”   
  
“Yeah, it was only me for years before my parents adopted my younger sister.” 

“Your parents adopted your younger sister?” 

“Yeah, all of us kids are. I was actually adopted from Norway.” Kristoff comments. 

“Really? Anna’s face brightens at his revelation. Kristoff nods in response with a small smile. 

“My Norwegian is only marginally better than my French.” 

“Well, I’d be happy to help you make it much better than your French. Shouldn’t be hard, your French is horrible.” Anna teases, bumping his shoulder with her own. The young man smiles down at the small nurse. 

“I’d like that.” He nods. That conversation was the last moment of peace he’d get all night, which was spent jumping foxhole to foxhole to patch up men injured by the airstrike. 

Over the next three weeks, Kristoff returns to the village several times to see her. They talk about several things, mostly their families. Anna often spoke of her sister back in Norway and how much she missed her.   
It was in the third week Kristoff had brought her a surprise. He found her sitting on the ground in front of the church staring out into the ruined village. Smiling up at the tall private when she notices him approaching her. 

“Hello.” She greets. 

“Hullo…” He shyly smiles in responds. “I have a surprise for you.” Anna’s brow crease as he begins to dig around his bag. Pulling out the object out of the bag Kristoff holds the object out to Anna. He lets out a chuckle as she snatches it from his hand. 

“Chocolate!” she exclaims with a wide grin, looking over the bar to ensure it was real. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grown a woman so excited over chocolate.” 

“Oh…I’m sorry.” She apologizes, sheepishly handing the bar back to the 4th-grade technician. 

“No! no Anna, it’s yours. I-uh saved it for you.” He rubs the back of his neck as he admits saving his ration for her. Anna withdraws her hand, placing the bar back onto her lap. 

“Takk skal du ha.” Anna says in her native tongue with a smile. “I haven’t had chocolate in forever. Not since I left.” She states, opening the chocolate bar and takes a bite of it. It wasn’t even good chocolate, but as far as she knew it was the best thing she had in years. Kristoff smiles as he watches the young nurse eat the candy in her hands. 

“What brought you to Belgium?” Kristoff asks as he sits next to her on the ground. Anna breaks off another piece of cholate, sighing. 

“Elsa and I tried to leave but by the time we got our papers in order, Sweden had closed its borders.” Anna explains. “Elsa rerouted our escape through Denmark, but they wouldn’t let her to cross the border.” 

“Why not?” Kristoff inquires. 

“We don’t know. My ex-fiancé was a collaborator, I always assumed he had something to do with it. I think he knew Elsa would try to leave but didn’t think I would. Once I got to Denmark, I came here with the hope I’d be able to get to Britain.” Anna sighs. “But no one was going to England so…I stayed.” 

“Do you write to her?” 

“I do, but I never send them. I’ve tried but they never reach her. I’ll give them to her when I see her again.” Anna shrugs. “I know it’s stupid, but it comforts me.” 

“It’s not stupid.” He shakes his head, reaching into his bag; unveiling a stack of letters to hand to her. Anna delicately takes them, running her finger along with them. “Letters to my family, mostly my ma.” 

“Why don’t you send them?” Anna hands the stack back to him. 

“It’s just ten letters basically about the same thing and the army redacts basically everything you write anyway. There’s really no point.” He shrugs putting the stack back into his bag. 

“I’m sure she’d want to hear from you. After everything you’ve told me about your Ma, she must be missing you. Plus, I like to think once your company moves on, you’ll want to write to me.” Anna blushes, brushing her hair back behind her shoulder. 

“Y-you would?” He asks. Nodding in reply Anna places her hand on top of his, lightly brushing her index finger against his knuckles. “I will then and who knows…maybe before I head back stateside, I’ll find my way back here.” Anna stands to turn to him to smile at the young man. 

“I’d like that.” Leaning over Anna presses a chaste kiss on his stubbled cheek. “I should get back in there. Thanks for the chocolate.” She walks away from him, making her way back to the church. 

“I’ll be back in a few days!” Kristoff calls out. Anna turns back to him, giving him the brightest smile, she could muster; one which made his heart pound in his chest. She waves to him before heading back into the church. 

Kristoff returns to the forest that night, sitting in his foxhole with Sven; who was teasing him about Kristoff’s nurse for the majority of the night. Though he denied most of his friend’s claims, he had to admit he hoped that their friendship would become something more after the war was over. 

The next few days were filled with treating minor injuries or conditions, lecturing all the men on how to prevent frostbite. The quiet didn’t last long, it never did. The airstrikes continued into the new year and it seemed to make the winter even worse.   
The airstrikes were further away tonight; those poor bastards in the 101st was all he could think all night. Though the shelling wasn’t on them, the sound was off-putting nonetheless. No one slept that night.

Kristoff went into the town the next day, getting to see Anna was what got him through the night. As the jeeps drive into the town Kristoff panics, it was all different. Jumping off the car before it came to a stop, he sprints to the church. His heart dropping as he sees the now ruined church. 

“Anna!” He calls out, hoping she’d show up. He looks around frantically, hoping for a miracle that she wasn’t in the church when it fell. In the corner of his eye, he sees her fiery hair, spinning on his heel Kristoff sees the nurse laying among other bodies. He makes his way to her side, dropping to his knees on the stone. He takes her wrist into his hand, trying to feel for a pulse. There wasn’t one. He sits back brushing her unbound hair from her face. 

“Anna…” He whispers, his hand stroking her soft cheek. Leaning over Kristoff presses a kiss to her lips. Something he should have done earlier. She still looked perfect, as perfect as the first time he saw her over a month ago. He doesn’t know how long he sits there with her, but Ryder had to drag him away from her body. As he’s about to stand he notices a letter sticking out of her apron. He grabs it without another thought. He kisses her lips once more before standing to follow Ryder.   
He goes back to his foxhole and sits with Sven quietly. Kristoff plays with the edge of the letter, debating if he should read it. It’s not until his best friend falls asleep does, he decides to read it.   
  
_Dear Elsa,_  
_Kristoff came to visit me again today; I think he’s finding excuses to see me whenever he can. He blushed profusely when I kissed his cheek, so I hope he’ll take the hint for_  
_Next time and kiss me. He also said he’d write to me when his company leaves the Ardennes and even come to find me after the war finishes. I really hope he does; I know this sounds crazy_  
_But I think I would go to the United States with him if he asked; we have family in Minnesota, right? Of course, I won’t be expecting marriage it’s too soon for that and we barely know each other; I learned my lesson. But I could see a future with him._  
_Lots of Love, Anna._

Kristoff’s head lolls back against the dirt, his ears ringing as her words echo through his head. Closing his eyes to get rid of the tears forming in his eyes, he couldn’t believe she was gone. He would’ve asked her to come back Stateside with him in a heartbeat, he had seen a future with her as well. But that was all gone now.   
The screeching of planes causes him to open his eyes to look at his now awake friend. He and Sven stare at each other mentally preparing for the night ahead of them before the shell hits their foxhole.  
Her letter still clutched to his chest. 


End file.
